Game music of the day: Halo 3 ODST

GR's ongoing tribute to the beloved world of videogame music

Welcome to GamesRadar's daily blast of all things pertaining to the ever-growing field of game music. Each post will introduce new sounds, games, composers and fan-made remixes of gaming's greatest aural achievements.

July 7, 2010

Game: Halo 3:ODST

Song: Neon Night

Composer: Martin O'Donnell, Michael Salvatori

Above: Neon Night from Halo 3: ODST

It's nearly been a year since ODST landed as a holiday Halo holdover, meant to tide the rabid fanbase over for the next "real" sequel. Heavily hyped and promoted with atrailerthat no game could ever live up to, ODST's impact was large, but not memorable - save for the music, that is, which sold the experience far better than the game.

This song, "Neon Night," plays while you explore the dimly lit streets of New Mombasa. It's a deliberate shift from the balls-out action of the main Halo titles, emphasizing jazz and haunting noir noises instead of Halo's usual chants and"DUNDUN DUN DUN!"blasts. While I can't say I loved the game too much, I did thoroughly enjoy slinking through the dark with this song in the background. Classy stuff.

This song, "More Than His Share," also sticks out in my mind as a great example of echoing typical Halo musicwithout copying it. This is distinctly ODST but still conveys the Halo atmosphere and ties this comparitively solitary experience back into the larger, galaxy-wide war. That said, I couldn't tell you where it played in the game. Just that the music stayed with me. (Also check outDeference for Darkness.)

Even if you can't stand Halo, or passed on ODST, the soundtrack is immensely listenable. Pick it up fromBungie's storeand help support quality VGM!